About HeartScore

The interactive tool for predicting and managing the risk of heart attack and stroke in Europe

HeartScore is aimed at supporting clinicians in optimising individual cardiovascular risk reduction. It is the electronic and interactive version of the SCORE risk charts (Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation), published by the European Society of Cardiology.

Scientific Background

The need to estimate total cardiovascular risk in apparently healthy individuals has since 1994 been strongly advocated by the joint recommendations from The European Society of Cardiology, European Society of Hypertension, European Atherosclerosis Society and other societies.

the goal was to find a tool which clinicians could use to better identify patients at high total risk of developing cardiovascular disease

the challenge is now to use this tool to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and death

The European Society of Cardiology initiated the development of a risk score system (SCORE) using data from 12 European cohort studies (N=205,178) covering a wide geographic spread of countries at different levels of cardiovascular risks. The SCORE data contains some 3-million person-years of observation and 7,934 fatal cardiovascular events.

The SCORE risk assessment is derived from a large dataset of prospective European studies and predicts fatal atherosclerotic CVD events over a ten year period.

This risk estimation is based on the following risk factors: gender, age, smoking, systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol.

The threshold for high risk based on fatal cardiovascular events is defined as "higher than 5%", instead of the previous "higher than 20%" using a composite coronary endpoint.

This SCORE model has been calibrated according to each European country’s mortality statistics. In other words, if used on the entire population aged 40-65, it will predict the exact number of fatal CVD-events that eventually will occur after 10 years.

The relative risk chart may be used to show younger people at low total risk that, relative to others in their age group, their risk may be many times higher than necessary. This may help to motivate decisions about avoidance of smoking, healthy nutrition and exercise, as well as flagging those who may become candidates for medication. This chart refers to relative risk, not percentage risk.

You can read more about the SCORE project in European Heart Journal, 2003, 24; 987-1003.

Benefits of using SCORE

Intuitive, easy to use tool

Takes account of the multifactorial nature of CVD

Estimates risk of all atherosclerotic CVD, not just CHD

Allows flexibility in management – if an ideal risk factor level cannot be achieved, total risk can still be reduced by reducing other risk factors

Allows a more objective assessment of risk over time

Establishes common language of risk for clinicians

Shows how risk increases with age

The new relative risk chart helps to illustrate how a young person with a low absolute risk may be at a substantially higher and reducible relative risk.

HeartScore® tailored to individual countries

HeartScore® can easily be adapted to different countries and different cultures and thus, make it easier for clinicians to have rapid, interactive access to appropriate local preventive advice.

A roll-out plan of national version is currently under way with the National Cardiac Societies.

Discover HeartScore now! choose from the European versions, National versions and different formats: web-based, PC, Quick Calculator

Funding

The European Society of Cardiology is a professional medical society which is funded by its membership dues and the scientific activities and events it organises, such as congresses and seminars, scientific journals publishing, educational programmes (...).

The development of HeartScore II with additional risk factors is part of the CVD Prevention Implementation Programme - Phase II - conducted by the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR), a registered branch of the ESC. This programme was supported by AstraZeneca, Merck, Novartis and Pfizer for 2010-2011.

The national roll-out of HeartScore II is part of the CVD Prevention Implementation Programme - Phase III - conducted by the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (EACPR), a registered branch of the ESC. This programme was supported by AstraZeneca, Servier and Roche for 2011-2012.

The sponsors were not involved in the development of HeartScore and in no way influenced its scientific content.